Mars Curiosity Rover continues mission on Mars

By JOSHUA TRUJILLO

on January 24, 2013 3:45 PM

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

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On Mars, as on Earth, sometimes things can take on an unusual appearance. A case in point is a shiny-looking rock seen in a recent image from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. Can you find what caused all the hubbub? less

On Mars, as on Earth, sometimes things can take on an unusual appearance. A case in point is a shiny-looking rock seen in a recent image from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover. Can you find what caused all the ... more

Photo: NASA

On Mars, as on Earth, sometimes things can take on an unusual... Photo-4211857.55678 - seattlepi.com

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The red arrow shows what caused all the excitment. Some casual observers might see a resemblance to a car door handle, hood ornament to a space ship or some other type of metallic object. To Ronald Sletten of the University of Washington, Seattle, a collaborator on Curiosity's science team, the object is an interesting study in how wind and the natural elements cause erosion and other effects on various types of rocks.

The red arrow shows what caused all the excitment. Some casual observers might see a resemblance to a car door handle, hood ornament to a space ship or some other type of metallic object. To Ronald Sletten of

The red arrow shows what caused all the excitment. Some casual... Photo-4212018.55678 - seattlepi.com

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"Drill Baby Drill" - This image released by NASA on Saturday Feb. 9, 2013 shows a fresh drill hole, center, made by the Curiosity rover on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 next to an earlier test hole. Curiosity has completed its first drill into a Martian rock, a huge milestone since landing in an ancient crater in August 2012. less

"Drill Baby Drill" - This image released by NASA on Saturday Feb. 9, 2013 shows a fresh drill hole, center, made by the Curiosity rover on Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 next to an earlier test hole. Curiosity has ... more

This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager camera on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a small bright object on the ground beside the rover at the "Rocknest" site. The rover team assessed this object as debris from the spacecraft, possibly from the events of landing on Mars. The image was taken during the mission's 65th Martian day, October 11, 2012. less

Someone is going to have to pick that up.

This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager camera on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a small bright object on the ground beside the rover at the "Rocknest" site. The ... more

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

Someone is going to have to pick that up. This image from the... Photo-4082888.55678 - seattlepi.com

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Yeah, you. You dropped something back there.

This rectangular version of a self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of exposures taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the 177th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Feb. 3, 2013).
The rover is positioned at a patch of flat outcrop called "John Klein," which was selected as the site for the first rock-drilling activities by Curiosity. The self-portrait was acquired to document the drilling site.
The rover's robotic arm is not visible in the mosaic. MAHLI, which took the component images for this mosaic, is mounted on a turret at the end of the arm. Wrist motions and turret rotations on the arm allowed MAHLI to acquire the mosaic's component images. The arm was positioned out of the shot in the images or portions of images used in the mosaic.
Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego, developed, built and operates MAHLI. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project and the mission's Curiosity rover for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed and assembled at JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Image Credit:NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS less

Yeah, you. You dropped something back there.

This rectangular version of a self-portrait of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity combines dozens of exposures taken by the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) during the ... more

In this handout image provided by NASA, Curiosity and its parachute are seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descends to the surface of Mars on August 5. (NASA / Getty Images) less

And who's going to pick up the parachute?

In this handout image provided by NASA, Curiosity and its parachute are seen by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as Curiosity descends to the surface of Mars on August ... more

And who's going to pick up the parachute? In this handout... Photo-3962657.55678 - seattlepi.com

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As NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity neared the ninth anniversary of its landing on Mars, the rover was working in the 'Matijevic Hill' area seen in this view from Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam). Opportunity landed Jan. 24, 2004, PST (Jan. 25 UTC). The landing site was about 12 miles (19 kilometers), straight-line distance, or about 22 miles (35.5 kilometers) driving-route distance, from this location on the western rim of Endeavour Crater.
Matijevic Hill is an area within the "Cape York" segment of Endeavour's rim where clay minerals have been detected from orbit. This view is centered northwestward, toward the crest of Cape York. It extends more than 210 degrees from left to right. The field of view encompasses most of the terrain traversed by Opportunity during a "walkabout" in October and November 2012 to scout which features to spend time examining more intensely. Two of the features investigated at Matijevic Hill are "Copper Cliff," the dark outcrop in the left center of the image, and "Whitewater Lake," the bright outcrop on the far right. less

As NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity neared the ninth anniversary of its landing on Mars, the rover was working in the 'Matijevic Hill' area seen in this view from Opportunity's panoramic camera ... more

NASA's Mars Curiosity rover, part of the Mars Science Laboratory, landed on the martian surface on August 6, 2012. Since then the car-sized rover has been toiling among the rocks and dust of the alien world, snapping literally otherworldly photos and beaming them back to Earth. Click through this collection of some of Curiosity's best photos:

''Layers at the Base of Mount Sharp''

A chapter of the layered geological history of Mars is shown in this image from NASA's Curiosity rover. The image shows the base of Mount Sharp, the rover's eventual science destination. This image is a portion of a larger image taken by Curiosity's 100-millimeter Mast Camera on August 23, 2012. less

NASA's Mars Curiosity rover, part of the Mars Science Laboratory, landed on the martian surface on August 6, 2012. Since then the car-sized rover has been toiling among the rocks and dust of the alien world, ... more

This image of a Martian rock illuminated by LEDs is part of the first set of nighttime images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager camera at the end of the robotic arm. MAHLI took the images on Jan. 22, 2012, after dark on the 165th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's work on Mars. less

''MAHLI's First Night Imaging of Martian Rock, White Lighting''

This image of a Martian rock illuminated by LEDs is part of the first set of nighttime images taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager camera at the end ... more

NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager to capture this set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched together to create this full-color self-portrait. The mosaic shows the rover at "Rocknest," the spot in Gale Crater where the mission's first scoop sampling took place. The base of Gale Crater's 3-mile-high sedimentary mountain, Mount Sharp, rises on the right side of the frame.
Self-portraits like this one document the state of the rover and allow mission engineers to track changes over time, such as dust accumulation and wheel wear. less

''High-Resolution Self-Portrait by Curiosity Rover Arm Camera''

NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager to capture this set of 55 high-resolution images, which were stitched together to create this ... more

This is a view of the third (left) and fourth (right) trenches made by the 1.6-inch-wide scoop on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity in October 2012. The image was acquired by the Mars Hand Lens Imager and shows some of the details regarding the properties of the "Rocknest" wind drift sand. Beneath the crust surface, as revealed in the scoop troughs and the piles of sediment on the right side of each, is finer sand, which is darker brown as compared with the dust on the surface. The left end of each trough wall shows alternating light and dark bands, indicating that the sand inside the drift is not completely uniform. less

''Scoop Marks in the Sand at 'Rocknest'''

This is a view of the third (left) and fourth (right) trenches made by the 1.6-inch-wide scoop on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity in October 2012. The image was acquired by ... more

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Scoop Marks in the Sand at... Photo-4082579.55678 - seattlepi.com

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''A Martian Rock Called 'Rocknest 3'''

This view of a Martian rock called "Rocknest 3" combines four images taken by the right-eye camera of the Mast Camera instrument, which has a telephoto, 100-millimeter-focal-length lens. The component images were taken a few minutes after Martian noon on the 59th Martian day, or sol, of Curiosity's operations on Mars. less

''A Martian Rock Called 'Rocknest 3'''

This view of a Martian rock called "Rocknest 3" combines four images taken by the right-eye camera of the Mast Camera instrument, which has a telephoto, ... more

This image shows the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on NASA's Curiosity rover, with the Martian landscape in the background. The image was taken by Curiosity's Mast Camera on the 32nd Martian day, or sol, of operations on the surface. less

''Hello, MAHLI''

This image shows the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) on NASA's Curiosity rover, with the Martian landscape in the background. The image was taken by Curiosity's Mast Camera on the 32nd Martian ... more

This patch of windblown sand and dust downhill from a cluster of dark rocks is the "Rocknest" site. This view is a mosaic of images taken by the telephoto right-eye camera of the Mast Camera during the 52nd Martian day of the mission. less

'''Rocknest' From Sol 52 Location''

This patch of windblown sand and dust downhill from a cluster of dark rocks is the "Rocknest" site. This view is a mosaic of images taken by the telephoto right-eye camera of ... more

This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows the patch of rock cleaned by the first use of the rover's Dust Removal Tool. The tool is a motorized, wire-bristle brush on the turret at the end of the rover's arm. Its first use was on the 150th Martian day. MAHLI took this image from a distance of about 10 inches. less

''First Use of Mars Rover Curiosity's Dust Removal Tool''

This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager on NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows the patch of rock cleaned by the first use of the rover's Dust Removal ... more

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity held its Mars Hand Lens Imager camera about 10.5 inches away from the top of a rock called "Bathurst Inlet" for a set of eight images combined into this merged-focus view of the rock. less

'''Bathurst Inlet' Rock on Curiosity's Sol 54, Context View''

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity held its Mars Hand Lens Imager camera about 10.5 inches away from the top of a rock called "Bathurst Inlet" for a set of ... more

This image of an outcrop at the "Sheepbed" taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover with its right Mast Camera shows well-defined veins filled with whitish minerals, interpreted as calcium sulfate.
These veins form when water circulates through fractures, depositing minerals along the sides of the fracture, to form a vein. Mastcam obtained these images the 126th Martian day of Curiosity's mission on Mars, December 13, 2012. less

''Veins in 'Sheepbed' Outcrop''

This image of an outcrop at the "Sheepbed" taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover with its right Mast Camera shows well-defined veins filled with whitish minerals, interpreted as ... more

This image from the right Mast Camera of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a scoop full of sand and dust lifted by the rover's first use of the scoop on its robotic arm. This image was taken during the mission's 61st Martian day. October 7, 2012. less

''View of Curiosity's First Scoop Also Shows Bright Object''

This image from the right Mast Camera of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a scoop full of sand and dust lifted by the rover's first use of the scoop ... more

The Mars Hand Lens Imager on the arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity took this image of a rock called "Et-Then" during the mission's 82nd sol, or Martian day, October 29, 2012. The rock's informal name comes from the name of an island in Great Slave Lake, Northwest Territories, Canada. less

''Rock 'Et-Then' Near Curiosity, Sol 82''

The Mars Hand Lens Imager on the arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity took this image of a rock called "Et-Then" during the mission's 82nd sol, or Martian day, October ... more

This scene shows the surroundings of the location where NASA Mars rover Curiosity arrived on the 29th Martian day of the rover's mission on Mars, September 4, 2012. It is a mosaic of images taken by Curiosity's Navigation Camera. less

''Curiosity's Location During Arm Checkouts''

This scene shows the surroundings of the location where NASA Mars rover Curiosity arrived on the 29th Martian day of the rover's mission on Mars, September 4, 2012. ... more

This color image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows part of the wall of Gale Crater, the location on Mars where the rover landed on August 5, 2012. This is part of a larger, high-resolution color mosaic made from images obtained by Curiosity's Mast Camera. less

''Wall of Gale Crater''

This color image from NASA's Curiosity rover shows part of the wall of Gale Crater, the location on Mars where the rover landed on August 5, 2012. This is part of a larger, ... more

This image shows fine sand from Mars that was filtered by NASA's Curiosity rover as part of its first "decontamination" exercise. These particles passed through a sample-processing sieve that is porous only to particles less than 0.006 inches across. The view from the rover's Mast Camera looks into the portion box and "throat" of the Collection and Handling for In-Situ Martian Rock Analysis (CHIMRA) tool on the end of the rover's arm. less

''Sand Filtered through Curiosity's Sieve''

This image shows fine sand from Mars that was filtered by NASA's Curiosity rover as part of its first "decontamination" exercise. These particles passed through a ... more

The sinuous rock feature in the lower center of this mosaic of images recorded by the NASA Mars rover Curiosity is called "Snake River." The images in the mosaic were taken by Curiosity's Navigation Camera during the 133rd Martian day of the rover's mission on Mars, December 20, 2012. less

'''Snake River' Rock Feature Viewed by Curiosity Mars Rover''

The sinuous rock feature in the lower center of this mosaic of images recorded by the NASA Mars rover Curiosity is called "Snake River." The images ... more

This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager shows details of rock texture and color in an area where the rover's Dust Removal Tool (DRT) brushed away dust that was on the rock. This rock target, "Ekwir_1" was brushed and this image was recorded on January 6, 2013.
The image, one of the highest resolution images returned so far by MAHLI, was taken from a distance of about 0.4 inch from the rock's surface. Fractures, white veins, pits and tiny dark grains in the rock are visible, as well as remaining clumps and specks of dust. less

''Close-up of Brushed Area on Martian Rock Target 'Ekwir_1''

This image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager shows details of rock texture and color in an area where the rover's Dust Removal Tool (DRT) brushed away ... more

This focus-merge image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager on the arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a rock called "Burwash." The rock has a coating of dust on it. The coarser, visible grains are windblown sand. The focus merge combines portions of eight images taken with the camera held in one position while the MAHLI focus mechanism moved for each of the eight exposures to capture features at different distances in focus. The images were taken during the mission's 82nd sol, or Martian day, October 29, 2012. less

''Rock 'Burwash' Near Curiosity, Sol 82''

This focus-merge image from the Mars Hand Lens Imager on the arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity shows a rock called "Burwash." The rock has a coating of dust on it. The ... more

This image is from a series of test images to calibrate the 34-millimeter Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover. It was taken on August 23, 2012 and looks south-southwest from the rover's landing site. The gravelly area around Curiosity's landing site is visible in the foreground. Farther away, about a third of the way up from the bottom of the image, the terrain falls off into a depression (a swale). Beyond the swale, in the middle of the image, is the boulder-strewn, red-brown rim of a moderately-sized impact crater. Farther off in the distance, there are dark dunes and then the layered rock at the base of Mount Sharp. Some haze obscures the view, but the top ridge, depicted in this image, is 10 miles away. less

''Focusing the 34-millimeter Mastcam''

This image is from a series of test images to calibrate the 34-millimeter Mast Camera on NASA's Curiosity rover. It was taken on August 23, 2012 and looks south-southwest ... more

This image shows the robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity with the first rock touched by an instrument on the arm. The rover's right Navigation Camera (Navcam) took this image during the 46th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, September 22, 2012. The rover placed the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument onto the rock to assess what chemical elements were present in the rock. The rock is named "Jake Matijevic" in commemoration of influential Mars-rover engineer Jacob Matijevic (1947-2012). less

''Curiosity's Rock-Contact Science Begins''

This image shows the robotic arm of NASA's Mars rover Curiosity with the first rock touched by an instrument on the arm. The rover's right Navigation Camera (Navcam) ... more

This image shows the wall of a scuffmark NASA's Curiosity made in a windblown ripple of Martian sand with its wheel. The upper half of the image shows a small portion of the side wall of the scuff and a little bit of the floor of the scuff (bottom of this image). The prominent depression with raised rims at the bottom center of the image was formed by one of the treads on Curiosity's front right wheel.
. less

''High-Resolution View of Cross-Section Through a Mars Ripple''

This image shows the wall of a scuffmark NASA's Curiosity made in a windblown ripple of Martian sand with its wheel. The upper half of the image ... more

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''High-Resolution View of Cross-Section Through a Mars... Photo-4082964.55678 - seattlepi.com

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''At Edge of 'Yellowknife Bay,' Sol 130''

In a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay," the NASA Mars rover Curiosity drove to an edge of the feature during the 130th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, December 17, 2012, and used its Navigation Camera to record this view of the ledge at the margin and a view across the "bay."
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Science Laboratory mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The mission's Curiosity rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. less

''At Edge of 'Yellowknife Bay,' Sol 130''

In a shallow depression called "Yellowknife Bay," the NASA Mars rover Curiosity drove to an edge of the feature during the 130th Martian day, or sol, of the mission, ... more

The left eye of the Mast Camera took this image of the camera on the rover's arm, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), during the 30th Martian day, or sol, of the rover's mission, September 5, 2012. less

''Camera on Curiosity's Arm as Seen by Camera on Mast''

The left eye of the Mast Camera took this image of the camera on the rover's arm, the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), during the 30th Martian day, or sol, ... more

Photo: Caltech/MSSS

''Camera on Curiosity's Arm as Seen by Camera on... Photo-4082966.55678 - seattlepi.com

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''Remnants of Ancient Streambed on Mars''

NASA's Curiosity rover found evidence for an ancient, flowing stream on Mars at a few sites, including the rock outcrop pictured here, which the science team has named "Hottah" after Hottah Lake in Canada’s Northwest Territories. It may look like a broken sidewalk, but this geological feature on Mars is actually exposed bedrock made up of smaller fragments cemented together, or what geologists call a sedimentary conglomerate. Scientists theorize that the bedrock was disrupted in the past, giving it the titled angle, most likely via impacts from meteorites. less

''Remnants of Ancient Streambed on Mars''

NASA's Curiosity rover found evidence for an ancient, flowing stream on Mars at a few sites, including the rock outcrop pictured here, which the science team has named ... more

On the 84th and 85th Martian days of the NASA Mars rover Curiosity's mission on Mars, October 31st and November 1st, 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens Imager to capture dozens of high-resolution images to be combined into self-portrait images of the rover. less

''Curiosity Self-Portrait, Wide View''

On the 84th and 85th Martian days of the NASA Mars rover Curiosity's mission on Mars, October 31st and November 1st, 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover used the Mars Hand Lens ... more